Welcome to .future – our latest thinking on sustainability communications – and a partnership with Comeen in France

We’ve renewed and renamed our sustainability communications research and launched a partnership in France with Comeen

Back in 2007, we initiated our CSR Online Awards research into how corporate responsibility and sustainability were playing out in the online sphere. We wanted to raise awareness about the value of engaging stakeholders in new digital channels and provide insights about the different approaches needed compared with the technical reporting exercise that many companies were limited to.

Today, after six editions of the awards, we are convinced more than ever of the need for this attention on digital and sustainability. Younger consumers are shifting expectations about the social responsibility and environmental performance of brands; financial players are rapidly integrating ESG factors into their investment decisions; and institutions globally are asking business to pay an active role with regards to the 2030 agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals. We’ve evolved our approach to keep pace with these trends and are back with a fresh look at sustainability communications, focusing on corporate websites and social media channels.

To mark this new phase in our thinking, we’ve renamed our research aslundquist.future (pronounced “dot-future”). Our aim is to support companies in building trust through transparency on relevant topics and distinctive storytelling.

Our international vocation is stronger than ever too: to reinforce the European focus of the research, we’ve partnered with Paris-based Comeen for a special French edition of .future. Founded in 2009 by Pierre-Yves Sanchis, Comeen develops digital solutions to help companies respond to their social and environmental issues. It’s the agency behind the e-RSE.net and e-CSR.net dialogue platforms and therefore shares Lundquist’s dedication to sustainability, digital and engagement.

To launch our partnership, our head of sustainability James Osborne will be in Paris on March 19 for a half-day masterclass on sustainability and social media, sharing his insights alongside representatives of Swiss flavouring and fragrance producer Givaudan (and a Lundquist client) and French retailer Monoprix. If you’d like to join the masterclass, you can get more information and sign up here.

Together with the Comeen team, we’re busy extending coverage of the .future research to the top 40 French companies. That means the current line-up for the initial edition of .future is as follows, covering over 200 companies:

Switzerland Top 60: companies in the SMI Expanded index + selection of leading non-listed brands

The results will be out in April-May so stay posted! In the meantime, find out more about the research and methodology.

If you’d like to understand how .future can guide your sustainability communications or to order a performance report, get in touch with [email protected]. French companies should contact Pierre-Yves and his team via [email protected].

We wouldn’t miss #FridaysforFuture Milano for the world (literally!). Our sustainability team is well represented in the huge crowd, closing an amazing day around the world. Let’s make sure the message..